Archive of Our Own ^beta

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The sun was too bright, the city too loud, and his own mind too quiet to shut out any of it.

She was gone.

He hadn’t believed it when he’d first heard, but Her Majesty’s voice had faded from his mind. He was alone again.

Damn them. Damn those who’d killed his salvation, who hadn’t killed him along with her, who’d left him stranded and flailing.

The chime of bells cut through the noise, giving Kar’niss something to focus on, to tune out everything except for the gentle voice of a frightened Tiefling.

“Do you need a place to stay?”

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The first few days were restless. Kar’niss was waiting for the Tiefling—Alfira, she’d asked him to call her—to tell him what she wanted with him, whether she needed a weapon, a toy, a worker, someone to practice skills or magic on. Why else would she let him stay, care for his wounds, if not for some greater purpose? Did she want a tool, or maybe prestige?

She kept repeating that she wanted none of that, that she had just wanted to help. Kar’niss couldn’t believe her.

But slowly, his injuries healed, and she did not cast him out.

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The first time they went outside together, Kar’niss assumed she wanted a bodyguard. If not that, someone to carry things for her.

But the city was safe, and Alfira carried what she bought herself, until Kar’niss offered to help.

Instead, she talked to him. Asked his opinions on the food she bought, whether he liked this flower better or that one, and even listened to what he said. It was so bizarre to him that Kar’niss barely even found the time to question it—until late that night, when the purple flowers he had picked decorated the living room table.

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Some nights, they stayed up until dawn, talking, Alfira sitting on a sofa and Kar’niss lying on a carpet of pillows. They were so soft he almost found it uncomfortable at first, like he wasn’t meant to feel this. At the same time, it was a marvel he never wanted to part from again.

She told him about her music, her mentor, the fall of her city, and listened to him talk about the Underdark, his first time coming to the surface, how he’d found himself with the Absolute’s forces.

More than once, he wished the night would never end.

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The first time Alfira laid a hand on him, he flinched, then braced himself for whatever punishment she would deem appropriate for that.

Instead, she apologized.

It stunned him more than any hit could have, and for a moment, he just stared at her, blinking, not quite comprehending what she meant.

Afterwards, she asked first. Was it okay if she patted his side? Would he mind walking side by side, since her tail might bump against his legs? Could she lay a hand on his back?

Soon, Kar’niss understood that Alfira’s touches were gentle, something to cherish, not to fear.

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Realizing how drawn he was to her was its own kind of torture, one that came not with cuts or broken bones, but a sharp ache in his chest.

He wanted to endure it silently, lucky enough to be allowed in her presence, but the admission slipped out—and she said she felt the same. Another surprise of countless the World Above offered him.

He could touch her. He was allowed to hold her in his arms. And it wasn’t even a dream, it was something he would be able to enjoy every day, no matter how often he woke.

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The first time they shared a bed, Kar’niss was worried. He was all sharp and pointy bits, while Alfira was soft, gentle as a ray of moonlight; what if he hurt her?

Or disappointed her?

But she just smiled at him and guided his hands, showed him what to do, how to touch her. And in turn, she caressed him, found where to stroke him to make his heart beat faster.

Her kisses tasted like joy and hope and the sweet dreams he’d only found after meeting her, and he hoped his caused her even a fraction of that bliss.

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They bought a house for the two of them. One with wide doors and high ceilings, where Kar’niss wouldn’t have to duck or cower to fit and move.

They made it theirs; rooms for Alfira to play and Kar’niss to listen, walls where his soft purples met the brighter colors she loved, a bed that was large enough they could both lie comfortably on it, together.

And each time Alfira asked his opinion, Kar’niss felt a little more like this was, truly, his place as well as hers. Or, perhaps, their place, more meaningful than either Hers or His alone.

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Once, they visited the Underdark. Not all the way to where Kar’niss had grown up; that would have been too dangerous for both of them. They stayed in the Upperdark, never too far from the nearest exit back to the World Above, but even so, it was... strange, to be back.

Alfira let Kar’niss see the place with different eyes entirely, pointing out glowing mushrooms he’d never bothered to look at, giggling when he showed her how strange drafts sometimes played haunting melodies among the rocks.

With her by his side, the Underdark felt more alive than it ever had.

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It was an evening like many others. Alfira was sitting on the sofa, Kar'niss resting on a pile of cushions next to her, close enough her hair tickled his skin when she moved. Moon and stars shone through a large window, bathing the room in gentle silver light.

Alfira yawned for the fourth time tonight, Kar'niss felt rest calling to him, but neither wanted to sleep. For once, not because they worried about dangers, but because the moment was too nice to leave.

When Alfira leaned against him with a happy sigh, Kar'niss realized that he'd finally found a home.